Climber summits Morro Rock

June 16, 2017

A climber made it to to the top of Morro Rock Thursday afternoon and then got down on his own, despite there being numerous public safety personnel and a helicopter preparing to conduct a rescue.

Morro Bay fire officials say the climber, who was greeted with a citation upon his descent, was a tourist from Bakersfield. The city of Morro Bay will also issue a fine. It is unclear how much money the city will penalize him.

Thursday’s incident was the second time in less than a month that someone decided to climb Morro Rock. On May 21, Morro Bay firefighters rescued a Bakersfield woman whom they found about 150 feet up the rock. City officials planned to fine the woman between $2,000 and $3,000 to cover the cost of the rescue.

9 Comments

Perhaps whoever called out the cavalry should pay the fine; the climber got himself up and down with no help needed, so why all the drama? Sure,the climber broke the rules, but required no assistance, so why should they pay for assistance they neither called for or needed?

People should not be climbing Morro Rock. As a taxpayer, my money should not go to ignorant people when they hurt themselves and sue. “Ohhhhhh, it was the government’s responsibility to prevent me from climbing. It’s all governments’s fault, I will not take any responsibility and sue.”

If people stopped blaming government for their ignorance, the world would be a better place.